Catalytic Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass Into Industrial Biochemicals

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a method for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into ethyl esters of carboxylic acids. Said method consists of treating the biomass material with an oxidizing agent that is incorporated in an solution comprising one or more acids, one or more alcohols and water, and subsequently performing a catalytic reaction at a higher temperature using the same acidic solution into which a larger volume of alcohol is added, in such a way that the catalytic conversion occurs in a medium with a much higher concentration of alcohol, i.e. with a much higher alcohol-to-water wt ratio. Such a method results in relatively high yields of ethyl esters, such as ethyl esters of formic, acetic, and levulinic acids, while producing a low yield of dialkyl ethers, which are unwanted by-products. The concentration of the oxidizing agent in the pre-treatment step is preferably higher than 6.0 wt %. The oxidizing agent is preferably a Fenton or Fenton-type reagent, and most preferably hydrogen peroxide activated by Fe (II), and/or Ti (IV) ions. The alcohol is preferably ethanol, and when ethanol is used, diethyl ether is formed as the unwanted dialkyl ether by-product. Preferably, the biomass material is pelleted before treatment.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into valuable species such as ethyl esters of carboxylic acids.

BACKGROUND

Lignocellulosic materials include materials such as wood, wood wastes, forestry residues, paper-making or cardboard-making residues, agricultural residues, municipal waste, and perennial grasses. These materials mainly contain cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in various proportions.

There are known ways of converting lignocellulosic biomass materials into fuels and chemicals. In the case of wood and wood residues, it is known to convert such materials by first subjecting these to a chemical pre-treatment to disrupt the protective and chemically recalcitrant lignin layer. This allows access to cellulose and hemicellulose layers by chemical or enzymatic species being incorporated in a subsequent hydrolysis step. Thus, sugars (mainly glucose) can be extracted to produce, for example, bioethanol by enzymatic fermentation.

It is also known to use harsher conditions, such as stronger acids, for acid hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose of lignocellulosic biomass. This results in the formation of carboxylic acids such as formic acid, levulinic acid, acetic acid, and furfural. Such chemical degradation is industrially exploited in the Biofine process [Reference 1].

Production of Alkyl Levulinates and Other Alkyl Esters:

Catalytic conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose into alkyl levulinates and light alkyl esters is currently known to be carried out in a) a single step process or b) a two-step process [Reference 2].

In a typical single step process, alcohol is used as a reactant and solvent. At least one acidic catalyst is used, typically a mineral acid diluted in alcohol. The liquid products of the reaction consist of alkyl levulinate, alkyl formate, alkyl acetate, and 2-furfural (2-furfuraldehyde). The use of alcohol allows the occurrence of two chemical reactions: alcoholysis and esterification. However, the by-product dialkyl ether is also produced directly from the alcohol in significant amounts, said amounts varying with the process conditions such as temperature and exposure time. If the alcohol is ethanol, this ether is diethyl ether (ethyl ether). Diethyl ether, because of its high volatility at room temperature, is generally considered as an inconvenience in various process operations (such as handling and storage), and because of its low commercial value and limited market demand. Solid residues (commonly called lignin char) are also produced in significant quantities.

In a typical two-step process, both catalytic steps involve acid catalysts. The first step is the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose: this catalytic reaction uses water as a solvent, and produces levulinic acid as well as by-products such as formic acid, acetic acid, and 2-furfural. Most of the water is subsequently withdrawn from the reaction medium and replaced with ethanol [Reference 2]. Thus, esterification (of the resulting carboxylic acids) occurs in the second step, producing alkyl esters. Under some harsh conditions, 2-furfural resulting from the acid catalyzed degradation of the reaction intermediates of hemicellulose is partially converted into formic acid.

In a previous patent application entitled “Catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fuels and chemicals” [Reference 3] and a 2012 publication in Catalysis Letters [Reference 4], preference was given to a single step process. In that invention, two novelties were introduced to the conventional approach:

-   -   a) The liquid product (esters) yields were significantly         increased by having a Fenton reagent directly incorporated into         the acidic ethanol solution. It is to note that the Fenton         reagent comprised an oxidant (hydrogen peroxide, H₂O₂), coupled         with Fe (II) and/or Ti (IV) ions [References 2, 3]. The         incorporation of a Fenton reagent in the conventional acid         catalyzed hydrolysis/ethanolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose         did not significantly change the products spectrum, i.e. the         same esters and oxygenates were produced, although in higher         yields. In addition, some methanol was produced when Fenton         reagents were used.     -   b) The unwanted diethyl ether was removed from the product         liquids and then sent over a ZSM-5 based catalyst for its         conversion into hydrocarbons [References 3, 4].

In that invention, the incorporation of the Fenton reagent in the conversion medium resulted in a rapid and important size reduction of the biomass materials, such a phenomenon being accompanied by a sudden, albeit limited, rise in temperature and pressure. This was indicative of some destructive action due to the free radicals generated by the Fenton reagent.

The total product yield of the process increased with increasing amount of Fenton reagent, particularly with increasing the proportion of hydrogen peroxide. However, due to its relatively high cost, the increase in hydrogen peroxide consumption results in higher production costs.

It is also known from WO 2014/144588 to treat biomass in other to increase the porosity of cellulosic material, remove lignin for treatment into sugars followed by optional acid hydrolysis. A pre-treatment using ionic liquids is used to swell the biomass prior to an second step alkaline treatment to release the lignin and a third step or acid or enzymatic hydrolysis. The ionic liquids are selected from cation structures that include imidazolium, pyrroldinium, pyridinium, phosphonium, ammonium, or functionalized analogs thereof [Reference 5].

Finally, it is also know from CA 2872510 to pre-treat biomass by mechanical breakdown which does not substantially affect the lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose compositions of the biomass. Acid extraction is used to generate a sugar stream which is then treated with an amine extractant to remove impurities. [Reference 6].

Therefore, there is a need for an improved method that allows for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into ethyl esters of carboxylic acids, wherein the production of the DEE by-product is minimized; and wherein there is a decrease in the consumption of oxidizing agent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into ethyl esters of carboxylic acids. Said method consists of first treating the biomass material with an oxidizing agent in an acidic solution of alcohol and water, and subsequently performing a catalytic reaction at a higher temperature using the same acidic solution into which a large volume of alcohol is added. Accordingly, the catalytic conversion occurs at a much higher concentration of alcohol, i.e. with a much higher alcohol-to-water wt ratio.

The invention thus provides the following according to aspects thereof:

A method for converting lignocellulosic biomass materials into ethyl esters, said method comprising the following steps:

-   -   a) thermo-chemical pre-treatment of the biomass materials with         an oxidizing agent solubilized in an acidic solution comprising         an acid, an alcohol, and water, thereby forming a pre-treatment         slurry;     -   b) diluting the slurry with additional alcohol and optionally         additional acid species, such as sulfuric acid, obtaining         catalytic conversion of the biomass materials in the slurry into         ethyl esters; and     -   c) recovery of the resulting products, wherein the resulting         products include the ethyl esters.

Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the appended drawings:

FIG. 1 shows the general conversion method of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the variation of the total product yield CP (in wt %, with the exclusion of the diethyl ether, DEE, yield) as a function of the concentration of oxidant (H₂O₂) in a Fenton reagent (HP, expressed in wt % of the catalytic conversion solution), in accordance with an example of a method known in the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To provide a clear and consistent understanding of the terms used in the present specification, a number of definitions are provided below. Moreover, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms as used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

The use of the word “a”, “an” or “the” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one”.

As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “include” and “includes”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contain” and “contains”), are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements or process steps.

As used herein the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes an inherent variation of error for the device or the method being employed to determine the value. In the present application, reference to numerical values are understood to be approximate or about that value owing to normal variations in methodology or measurements. Unless otherwise indicated, the term “about” will allow plus or minus variations of 10%. Unless otherwise indicated the reporting of numerical value are understood to be approximate regardless of the use of the word “about” in relation to the numerical value.

The data of FIG. 2 and the observed phenomena as reported in paragraph [9] suggests that the disruptive action of the free radicals (being generated by an oxidizing agent, preferably a Fenton or a Fenton-type reagent) on the lignin layer of the biomass material, occurs in the liquid phase. Moreover, for such solution to be efficient, its oxidizing agent concentration, preferably H₂O₂ concentration, is preferably higher than 6 wt %.

The present invention incorporates into the process a pre-treatment step aimed at degrading the biomass structure. Essentially, this step is carried out with a liquid solution having a much smaller volume than that used in the prior art. However, the related volume is preferably sufficient to keep the biomass material totally immersed into that liquid. As a result, it is possible to maintain an oxidizing agent concentration, preferably a H₂O₂ concentration, higher than about 6 wt % while considerably reducing the amount of the oxidizer used. The present invention also supposes that the oxidizing agent, preferably H₂O₂, does not need to intervene in the subsequent step of “hydrolysis-esterification” (catalytic conversion), which requires a larger liquid volume and a higher reaction temperature.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises the following steps:

-   -   a) Biomass pre-treatment: is carried out by submitting the         biomass material to a combined effect consisting of the         degradation of the biomass structure by an oxidizing agent,         preferably a Fenton reagent, and by an acidic species. A minimal         amount of liquid should be used in order to have a concentration         of oxidizing agent higher than about 6 wt % while having the         biomass material essentially all immersed in the liquid.         However, in this phase, neither water nor alcohol can be used         alone because the next step of the method includes several         catalytic reactions (biomass hydrolysis/esterification), thereby         requiring water and alcohol, preferably ethanol, in well-defined         proportions. Thus, the pre-treatment phase is done in an acidic         solution of alcohol, preferably ethanol, and water, and in the         presence of an oxidizing agent, preferably a Fenton reagent: all         these components are preferably incorporated into the reaction         medium with precise timing. The maximum temperature used is         preferably about 150° C., which is also the boiling point of         hydrogen peroxide.     -   b) Final biomass conversion: this step is performed over the         resulting degraded biomass at a higher temperature, preferably         at around 180° C., upon addition of alcohol, preferably ethanol,         and adjustment of the acidity. In such a context, water is used         as a dialkyl ether inhibitor, preferably a DEE inhibitor if         ethanol was used. However, the amount of water is preferably         regulated because if there is too much water in the reaction         medium, it may negatively affect the total product yield.         Finally, some polymerization inhibitor can be added in order to         prevent an excessive formation of polymeric species that may         contribute to some decrease in the final product yields.

FIG. 1 shows the general conversion scheme of a specific embodiment of the present invention, illustrating controlled use of Fenton or Fenton-type reagents during a biomass pre-treatment phase, thus allowing a subsequent catalytic reaction to produce ethyl esters in relatively high yields. It also illustrates the use of acidic solutions of alcohol and water in both pre-treatment and conversion phases, which can drastically reduce the formation of dialkyl ethers, an unwanted by-product.

The method of the present invention results in relatively high yields of ethyl esters, preferably ethyl esters of formic, acetic, and levulinic acids, while producing a low yield of dialkyl ethers, unwanted by-products. Thus, the method of the present invention shows two important practical advantages when compared to that of the prior art that also made use of oxidizing agents: a) there is a reduction in unwanted by-products with basically no or little need of up-grading the unwanted dialkyl ethers; and b) the process consumption of oxidizing agent is greatly reduced.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of the oxidizing agent used in the biomass pre-treatment phase is preferably above about 6.0 wt %.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the use of a polymerization inhibitor in step b) is preferred.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the method results in relatively high yields of ethyl esters of formic, acetic, and levulinic acids, and a significant production of levulinic acid, furfural, methanol, α-angelica-lactone, methyl levulinate and dialkyl succinate.

In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the “water-to-alcohol” weight ratio in the reaction medium has some influence on the products' “levulinic acid-to-ethyl levulinate” weight ratio. Interestingly, it is possible to limit the production of dialkyl ethers to an acceptable level by adjusting the reaction parameters, particularly by adjusting the “water-to-alcohol” weight ratio in the main conversion step.

In another embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to further reduce the volume of the liquid phase used in the pre-treatment step, while maintaining a sufficiently high oxidizing agent concentration, preferably H₂O₂ concentration, by increasing the bulk density of the biomass material prior to submitting it to the pre-treatment operation. In fact, “pelleting” or “pelletizing” these materials can significantly increase their specific density. This in turn allows to use less liquid to achieve immersion of a given volume of biomass material. Such a densification of biomass materials can be carried out with a binder (rice-husk pellets) or without a binder (wood pellets). In addition to an advantageous reduction of the consumption of the oxidizing agent, this pelleting can reduce the overall volume of other reagents (including acid species) and solvents used in the process.

The invention is illustrated in further detail by the following non-limiting examples.

Examples 0-5 (Comparative)

In prior art methods using a Fenton reagent, wherein said Fenton reagent is directly added to the reaction medium to enhance the production of alkyl esters [References 3, 4], high concentrations of the oxidant (hydrogen peroxide) in the conversion solution were needed to achieve high yields of alkyl esters. Otherwise, in the absence of the Fenton reagent, such yields were quite low. FIG. 2 and Table 1 report the results obtained with these known methods.

FIG. 2 shows the variation of the total product yield CP (in wt %, with the exclusion of the diethyl ether, DEE, yield) as a function of the concentration of the oxidant (H₂O₂) in the Fenton reagent (HP, expressed in wt % of the conversion solution), in accordance with an example of a prior art method.

The corresponding values of HP and CP, as well as B/HP (biomass-to-hydrogen peroxide wt ratio) are reported in Table 1:

TABLE 1 Total product yield versus H₂O₂ concentration HP Example number 0 1 2 3 4 5 HP (H₂O₂) 0 5.7 7.3 8.1 9.3 11.6 B/HP — 3.6 2.8 2.6 2.2 1.8 CP 37 38 60 85 97 103 Note: (there is no pre-treatment step in the prior art method)

Thus, HP has an important influence on the total product yield (CP).

FIG. 2 shows that the total product yield starts steadily increasing when the value of HP is higher than about 6.0, corresponding to a value of B/HP lower than about 3.3 (Table 2). The latter parameter indicates that at least 30 g of hydrogen peroxide are needed for obtaining a total product yield CP higher than 38 wt % (conventional value reported when Fenton reagents are not in use).

Table 2 shows some typical results obtained with the prior art method:

TABLE 2 Typical performances of the catalytic conversion of spruce chips, in accordance with the method of the previous invention Example number 0 2 4 HP 0 7.3 9.3 B/HP — 2.8 2.2 H₂O₂ consumed in g 0 36 45.5 per 100 g of dried biomass) Product yield (wt %) Ethyl formate 5 17 37 Ethyl acetate 4 14 24 Ethyl levulinate 18 20 22 Methanol 0 3 5 2-furfural (and other 1 5 9 oxygenates) CP 28 59 97 Diethyl ether (DEE) 64 52 60

Thus, in accordance with the prior art, higher product yields (particularly for short esters, i.e. ethyl formate and ethyl acetate) are obtained with higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide HP, leading to higher total product yield CP (excluding DEE). Unfortunately, the yield of DEE is also very high.

Typical Procedure Used for the Biomass Catalytic Conversion of the Previous Invention (Example 4 of Table 1 and Table 2):

45.0 g of spruce wood chips (dried in an oven at 80° C. for 48 hours), were added to solution A, being contained in a Parr reactor (capacity=1 liter) and made from 132 g of absolute ethanol and 41 g of aqueous hydrogen peroxide (50% H₂O₂), equivalent to 45.5 g of H₂O₂ per 100 g of dried biomass. Then, solution B, 2.0 g of ferrous sulphate heptahydrate dissolved in 24 g H₂SO₄ (17 wt %) and 17 g water, was slowly added under cooling and mild stirring.

Composition: liquid=215 g; liquid/biomass=4.8; H₂O₂ (HP)=9.3 wt %; acidity=1.9 wt %; ethanol/water=4.1; biomass/H₂O₂ (B/HP)=2.25 (meaning that for treating 100 g of biomass, 44 g of H₂O₂ were necessary).

Then, the autoclave was heated to the reaction temperature of 181° C. and maintained at said temperature for 60 min.

In the prior art method, due to high yields of the by-product diethyl ether (DEE), as reported in Table 2, the method needed a second catalytic step (conversion over a zeolitebased catalyst) to convert the important amounts of DEE (DEE up-grading). In addition, the large consumption of hydrogen peroxide, which is quite expensive and not readily available, may significantly affect the production costs of valuable biochemicals, particularly that of ethyl levulinate.

Examples 6 (Comparative) and Examples 7-10

Data obtained using an embodiment of the method of the present invention are reported in Table 3 as Examples 7-8.

TABLE 3 Conversion of spruce chips using an embodiment of the present invention Example number 6 7 8 HP _((*)) NO 6.6 6.6 B/HP — 5.6 5.6 Polymerization inhibitor NO NO YES Product yield (wt %) Ethyl formate 7 13 14 Ethyl acetate 5 9 10 Ethyl levulinate 14 21 22 Levulinic acid 1 3 2 Furfural 3 1 1 Methanol 0 3 4 Diethyl succinate & other 2 3 3 oxygenates DEE 6 7 7 CP (excluding DEE) 32 54 56 Note: HP _((*)) = concentration of H₂O₂ in the pre-treatment liquid phase, expressed as % wt.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention as illustrated by examples 7 to 10, the following procedure is provided for:

-   -   I) Pre-treatment step:         -   A given mass of biomass material is soaked with Solution A,             wherein Solution         -   A contains ethanol, sulfuric acid diluted in ethanol, and             hydrogen peroxide.         -   Afterwards, Solution B, containing ferrous sulfate dissolved             in water, is rapidly added under cooling to form a slurry,             so that the following conditions are satisfied:         -   a) Liquid/biomass wt ratio=1.5-3.         -   b) Hydrogen peroxide concentration=above 6.0 wt %.         -   c) Acidity=2.0-4.0 wt %.         -   d) The slurry is heated in an autoclave at a temperature             between 85° C. to 145° C. for 1 to 5 hours.     -   II) Catalytic conversion step:         -   Solution C, containing sodium sulfite dissolved in water,             and solution D, containing ethanol and eventually some             sulfuric acid diluted in ethanol, are successively added.

In step II), the reaction conditions are as follows:

-   -   a) Liquid/biomass wt ratio=3.5-7.0     -   b) Acidity=1.2-2.3 wt %.     -   c) Ethanol/water wt ratio=3.5-5.5     -   d) Reaction temperature=170° C.-190° C.     -   e) Reaction time=25 min-120 min.

Table 3 shows that:

-   -   a) The use of an oxidizing agent, preferably a Fenton or         Fenton-type reagent, in the pre-treatment step, leads to higher         yields of all ester products (Examples 7 and 8, versus Example         6), and to an increased production of methanol.     -   b) Water in significant concentration in the conversion medium         results in the production of valuable levulinic acid (for         comparison, in all examples of Table 2, there is almost no         levulinic acid produced), and is the most likely cause of the         strong decrease in dialkyl ether production, which was DEE in         this embodiment of the present invention (Examples 7 and 8 of         Table 3 versus Examples 2 and 4 of Table 2).     -   c) In Examples 7 and 8 of Table 3, the B/HP (biomass-to-hydrogen         peroxide used) ratio has a value of 5.6, which is much higher         than those reported in Examples 2 and 4 of Table 2 (prior art).         This is because the amount of H₂O₂ added into the pre-treatment         step is much smaller than the amount added to the conversion         medium of the prior art (a process having no pre-treatment         step). Here, a B/HP of 5.6 means that for treating 100 g of         dried spruce chips, only 18 g of hydrogen peroxide are needed,         as opposed to the 36 g of oxidizer (B/HP=2.8) used in Example 2         of Table 2, despite both examples having almost the same total         product yield CP.     -   d) The use of a polymerization inhibitor (sodium sulfite in         Example 8 of Table 3) significantly increases the total product         yield (Example 7 of Table 3). Another inhibitor that can be used         is magnesium sulfite trihydrate.

Preferred Embodiment of Example 8 (Table 3) a) Pre-Treatment Step:

50.0 g of spruce wood chips, dried in an oven at 80° C. for 48 hours, were added to solution A, being contained in a Parr reactor (capacity=1 liter) and made from 40 g of H₂SO₄ dissolved in absolute ethanol (10 wt %), 56 g of absolute ethanol, and 18 g of aqueous hydrogen peroxide (50% H₂O₂). Then, solution B (1.1 g of ferrous sulphate heptahydrate dissolved in 22 g water) was slowly added under cooling and mild stirring to form a slurry.

Composition: total liquid=137.1 g; liquid/biomass=2.7; acidity=2.9 wt %, hydrogen peroxide=6.6 wt %; ethanol/water=2.3.

The slurry is then heated very slowly to 140° C. The temperature is held at that value for 2 hours.

b) Catalytic Conversion Step:

Solution C (1.4 g of sodium sulfite dissolved in 6 g of water) and solution D (12 g of H₂SO₄ dissolved in absolute ethanol (10 wt %)+97 g of absolute ethanol) were successively added.

Composition: liquid=254 g; liquid/biomass=5.1; acidity=2.0 wt %; ethanol/water=4.3.

The resulting solution is heated to 179° C. and that temperature is kept constant for 60 minutes.

The amount of oxidizing agent, advantageously hydrogen peroxide, used in the pre-treatment phase plays a role in the method of the invention. Table 4 shows the effect of the biomass-to-hydrogen peroxide wt ratio (B/HP) on the product yields. It is important to note that in all examples of Table 4, all reaction parameters are the same (see preferred embodiment of Example 8 of Table 3), except for the amount of hydrogen peroxide used in the pre-treatment phase, in that there is variation in the amount of hydrogen peroxide adjusted with water used in examples 9 and 10.

TABLE 4 Influence of the HP (*) and B/HP ratio on the product yields. Example number 9 8(**) 10 HP (*) 7.3 6.6 5.8 (B/HP) 5.0 5.6 6.3 H₂O₂ consumed/100 g dried 20 18 16 Biomass Product yield (wt %) Ethyl formate 15 14 13 Ethyl acetate 12 10 9 Ethyl levulinate 23 22 21 Levulinic acid 3 2 2 Furfural 1 1 1 Methanol 4 4 3 Diethyl succinate & others 2 3 2 DEE 13 7 8 CP (excluding DEE) 60 56 51 HP (*) = concentration of H₂O₂ in the pre-treatment liquid phase expressed as % wt; (**)same as Example 8 of Table 3;

When directly comparing Example 2 of Tables 1 and 2 (using the method of the prior art, References 3 and 4), and Example 8 of Tables 3 and 4 (using an embodiment of the method of the present invention), the following conclusions can be reached:

-   -   a) Both runs provide similar total product yields CP (excluding         DEE).     -   b) The production of DEE with this embodiment of the method of         the present invention is minimal in comparison to the prior art.     -   c) The consumption of hydrogen peroxide per 100 g of dried         biomass with the method of the present invention is only about         half of that of the prior art (18 g versus 36 g).

Thus, by using the method of the invention instead of that of the prior art, it is possible to very significantly decrease the amount of hydrogen peroxide used while obtaining almost the same yield of commercially valuable products, in particular ethyl levulinate.

In addition, the method of the invention when compared to that of the prior art, significantly decreases the amount of the “unwanted” DEE. It is to note that DEE is produced directly from ethanol by dehydration. Thus, “less DEE produced” means “lower ethanol consumption”.

Significantly lower consumption of fed hydrogen peroxide and significantly lower consumption of fed ethanol mean lower production cost for the product esters.

The invention of a specific pre-treatment phase that uses a reduced liquid volume (with respect of the total volume of the main catalytic conversion phase) in conjunction with a sufficient concentration of hydrogen peroxide, allows further improvement of the process (by “densification” of the biomass feed). In fact, by reducing the size of the biomass chips, it is possible to increase the B/HP ratio (more biomass material converted for the same mass of hydrogen peroxide used).

An advantageous finding according to embodiments of the present invention was also noted: the final products obtained from the catalytic conversion step do no vary as a function of the impurities present in the initial biomass charge.

It is to note that there is no reaction with the Fenton Reagent when the temperature is equal or lower than 40° C. However, when the reaction vessel is heated at a temperature higher than 45° C., there is a spontaneous and quite rapid increase of temperature (to 105-110° C., generally at a rate of 20° C./min) and pressure (40-45 psi) that may help disrupting the ligno-cellulosic structure of the biomass.

The method of the invention, when used with a biomass conversion medium containing only water (used as a solvent as in a conventional acid hydrolysis) leads to the same level of yield increase (mostly for levulinic acid). Therefore, this beneficial effect can be attributed to the action of the oxidizing agent, which in this embodiment of the present invention was a Fenton reagent.

Ethyl levulinate and its carboxylic acid, levulinic acid, have numerous commercial applications [2]. These compounds are considered as platform chemicals, meaning that they can lead to the production of numerous other industrial chemicals [2].

It is important to note that all ethyl esters obtained by the method of this invention (particularly ethyl formate and ethyl levulinate) can be converted into their corresponding carboxylic acids via known acid-catalysed hydrolysis. To do so, solid acidic catalysts such as zeolites and special acidic ion-exchange resins are preferred owing to some advantages associated with their use.

It is also important to note that diethyl ether DEE can be converted, if necessary, to other chemicals such as light olefins or ethyl acetate, or converted back to ethanol.

DEE can be converted to light olefins and heavier hydrocarbons (particularly, aromatics), over zeolite catalysts, particularly ZSM-5 zeolite (Si/Al ratio=from 40 to 60), at a temperature ranging from 280° C. to 320° C., and a W.H.S.V. (weight hourly space velocity), ranging from 1.0 h⁻¹ to 4.0 h⁻¹. It is advantageous to dilute DEE with water in the proportion (water/DEE) of 1/2 to 2/1 in order to reduce the rate of carbonaceous deposition onto the zeolite acid sites, minimizing thus the catalyst fouling. The latter phenomenon, if being important, needs a too frequent catalyst regeneration by combustion in air at elevated temperatures (450-550° C.). Total hydrocarbon yield can exceed 90 wt % in most preferred operating conditions.

DEE can also be converted into ethyl acetate with acetic acid over an acidic catalyst. Solid acidic catalysts are preferred for easy products/catalyst separation reason. The most preferred solid acidic catalyst is the H-USY (acid form-ultra stabilized Y zeolite) for its structural robustness and its relatively high yield of ethyl acetate (more than 60 wt % at 300° C.).

DEE can also be converted back to ethanol with water over an acidic catalyst at high temperature and high pressure.

The method of this invention has characteristics for successful commercial development, i.e. simple, green, and sustainable technology, with low cost production of valuable chemicals used in various fields of chemical industry.

The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

The present description refers to a number of documents, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

REFERENCES

-   [1] D J. Hayes, S. Fitzpatrick, M. H. B. Hayes, J. R, H. Ross, in     Biorefineries-Industrial Processes and Products, Wiley-VCH (2006) p.     139-164. -   [2] R. Le Van Mao, Q. Zhao, G. Dima, D. Petraccone, Catal.     Lett, (2011) 141, 271-276; and refs. therein. -   [3] R. Le Van Mao, WO 2013/127006 A1. -   [4] R. Le Van Mao, A. Muntasar, D. Petraccone, H. T. Yao, Catal.     Lett. (2012) 142, 667-675; and refs. therein. -   [5] WO 2014/144588, Suganit Systems Inc. -   [6] CA 2872510, Virdia Inc. 

1. A method for converting lignocellulosic biomass materials into ethyl esters, said method comprising: (a) thermo-chemical pre-treatment of the biomass materials with an oxidizing agent solubilized in an acidic solution comprising an acid, an alcohol, and water, thereby forming a pre-treatment slurry; (b) diluting the slurry with additional alcohol and optionally additional acid species, such as sulfuric acid, and obtaining catalytic conversion of the biomass materials in the slurry into ethyl esters; and (c) recovering the resulting products, wherein the resulting products include the ethyl esters.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ethyl esters are selected from the group consisting of: ethyl levulinate, ethyl formate, ethyl acetate, and combinations thereof.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the oxidizing agent is a Fenton or a Fenton-type reagent.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the Fenton or Fenton-type reagent is hydrogen peroxide activated by at least one of Fe (II) ions or Ti (IV) ions.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentration of oxidizing agent in the acidic solution used in the chemical pre-treatment is higher than about 6.0 wt %.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the solution-to-biomass wt ratio in the chemical pre-treatment step is between about 1.0 to about 5.0, preferably between about 1.5 and about 4.0.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the solution-to-biomass wt ratio in the chemical pre-treatment step is between about 2.0 and about 2.7.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the alcohol-to-water wt ratio in the chemical pre-treatment step is between about 0.5 and about 4.0, preferably between about 1.0 and about 3.3.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the alcohol-to-water wt ratio in the chemical pre-treatment step is between about 1.5 and about 2.2.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the acid is sulfuric acid.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the alcohol is ethanol.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the slurry prepared during the pre-treatment phase is heated at a temperature between about 65° C. and about 145° C.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the slurry prepared during the pre-treatment phase is heated at a temperature between about 120° C. and about 135° C.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the slurry is heated for 1 hour to 6 hours during the pre-treatment step.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the slurry is heated for 2 hours to 4 hours during the pre-treatment step.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the concentration of sulfuric acid during the pre-treatment step is between about 1.5 and about 4.0 wt %.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the concentration of sulfuric acid during the pre-treatment step is between 2.5 and 3.5 wt %.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the concentration of sulfuric acid in the catalytic conversion step is between 1.2 wt % and 2.3 wt %.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein a polymerization inhibitor is added to the slurry of the catalytic conversion.
 21. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentrations of biomass material, acid, oxidizing agent, alcohol, and water are adjusted before or during the operation using the same reaction vessel.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the concentrations of biomass material, acid, oxidizing agent, alcohol, water, and polymerization inhibitor are adjusted before or during the operation using the same reaction vessel.
 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the polymerization inhibitor selected from the group consisting of magnesium sulfite trihydrate, sodium sulfite, or any combination thereof.
 24. The method of claim 1, wherein the resulting products selected from the group consisting of ethyl levulinate, ethyl formate, ethyl acetate, levulinic acid, furfural, methanol, α-angelica lactone, methyl levulinate, diethyl succinate, or any combination thereof.
 25. The method of claim 1 further comprising the additional step of increasing the bulk density of the biomass materials (densification) prior to submitting said biomass materials to the thermo-chemical pre-treatment step.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of increasing the bulk density of the biomass materials comprises pelleting the biomass materials.
 27. The method of claim 1, further comprising the additional step of hydrolyzing the ethyl esters into their corresponding carboxylic acids
 28. A method for converting lignocellulosic biomass materials into carboxylic acids, said method comprising: (a) thermo-chemical pre-treatment of the biomass materials with an oxidizing agent solubilized in an acidic/aqueous medium; (b) catalytic conversion with acidic species while in the aqueous medium; and (c) recovery of the resulting products.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the carboxylic acids are selected from the group consisting of levulinic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, and combinations thereof. 